Power unit



Jan. 3, 1933. GlLBERT 1,892,833

POWER UNIT Filed May 7, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet l FIG.I.

F|G.|O.

7 l 6O 7O 63 69 F|G.9. s7

INVENTOR.

REGINALD GILBERT A TT 0RNE Y.

Jan. 3, 1933. (5|| BERT 1,892,833

POWER UNIT Filed May 7, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 I FIG. 7. @Hllh; 45 4 .1""

V 46 INVENTOR.

I 48 REGINALD. GILBERT.

A BY 5/ 53 ATTORNEY.

R. GILBERT POWER UNIT Jan. 3, 1933.

Filed May '7, 1930 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 I INVENTOR; REGINALD GILBERT.

ATTORNEY.

Patented Jan. 3, 1933 UNITED STATES REGINALD GILBERT, OF SAN FRANCISCO,CALIFORNIA POWER UNIT Application filed May 7, 1930. Serial No. 450,577.

This invention relates to improvements in power units and moreparticularly to motive means for washing and wringing machines.

The principal'object is to provide a portable power unit which may bereadily attached to and detached from wash tubs, laundry trays and otherconventional laundry installations. .i Another object is to enclose allworking parts in lubricant, so far as practicable.

A further object is to simplify the operation and guard the moving partsfor the protection of the operator.

M Other objects and advantages will appear as the descriptionprogresses.

In this specification and the accompanylng drawings the invention isdisclosed in its preferred form. But it is to be understood s that it isnot limited to this form because it may be embodied in other forms. Itis also to be understood that in and by the claims following thedescription it is desired to cover the invention in whatsoever form itmay be 1 I embodied.

In the three sheets of drawings:

Fig. l is a front elevation of the invention installed on a laundrytray.

Fig. 2 is a rear view of the same, detached I go from the tray.

' Fig. 4 is a greatly enlarged detail View of the same, in horizontalsection taken on the line IVIV, Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a detail in'vertical section of the bearing for theoscillating shaft, taken on the line VV, Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a detail of the reverse gear for the wringer drive, partiallyin vertical section on the line VI-VI, Fig. 3.

Fig. 7 is a detail end view of the reverse clutch collar of the samepartly in cross section on the line VIIVII, Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a detail of the sprocket drive and universal joint for thewringer, partly in vertical section on the line VIII-VIII, Fig. 2.

Fig. 9 is an end view of the said universal joint, partially in crosssection on the line IX--IX, Fig. 8.

Fig. 10 is an enlarged detail in vertical section, of the combined wormand bevel gear of the countershaft drive.

In detail the construction illustrated in the drawings, referring toFigs. 1, 2', comprises thev enclosing housing designated A as allinclusive. The housing is preferably an integral die casting of aluminumor other alloy of proper strength.

The various mechanisms are inserted into the housing through openingsclosed by oil and moisture tight covers. It is important in laundrymachinery that no oil escape from the machine to stain the laundry, andequally important that no water or soapy solutions enter the workingparts and emulsify the lubricant to the detriment of the working parts.

The prime mover in the present instance is the electric or other form ofmotor 1, fixed to the base 2 of the housing. The shaft 3 of the motorextends into the belt guard 4, fixed to the base 2. The grooved drivepulley 5 is fixed on the motor shaft 3. The driven pulley 6 is fixed onthe countershaft'? in alinement with the pulley 5.

Power is transmitted from the motor to this countershaft by the V typebelt 8. This type of drive is preferred because of its silence,flexibility and lack of vibration. The belt guard 4 has a sheet metalcover, not shown, held in position by a screw engaging the lug 9 andfitting closely within the housing 4 against the stop lugs 1010.

The countershaft 7 is mounted in suitable bearings in the housing 1, andin the cap 11, fixed thereto. The gear worm 12 is fixed on thecountershaft 7, intermediate these bearings and enmeshed with the wormgear 13 keyed on the end of the cam shaft 14.

This cam shaft is mounted in the bearing 15 in the housing and in thecap 16, fixed to the housing. The ends of this shaft are turned down toform shoulders abutting the ends of the bearings 15-16. The thrustplates 17-18 are interposed to take the end thrust wear.

The cam 19 is revoluble on the shaft 14, and has the peripheral slot 20formed therein.

The clutch teeth 21 are formed on the end of the cam and adapted toengage similar teeth 22, on the slidable clutch collar 23 splined on theshaft 14 at 24. This clutch has the concentric groove 25 therein.

The cam is clutched and declutched by the stud 26 engaging the groove 25and mounted eccentrically on th spindle 27 in the cap 28 fixed in thehousing and operated by the exposed crank handle 29.

Swinging the handle 29 slides the collar 23 on the spline 24 to drive ordeclutch the cam 19, respectively. The handle has the tit 30 thereon,engaging a recess or socket in the top of the housing to hold the handlein adjusted position. The collar 23 being driven by the shaft 14 throughthe spline 24 will revolve the cam when the teeth 2122 are engaged.

The rack segment arm 31 is pivoted at 32 on the base 2 of the housingand extends under the cam. The stud 33 extending upward from this armhas an antifriction roller thereon engaging the cam slot 20. Therotation of the cam 19 causes the reciprocal oscillation of the arm 31,see Figs. 3, 4.

The arm 81 has the segmental rack 35 thereon, enmeshed with the pinion36, see Figs. 4, 5. This pinion has an upwardly extended hub 37, mountedwithin a split bushin 38, contracted within the semi-cylindrical bore ofthe turret 39 extending from the side of the housing. This turret has acomplete concentric neck at the top portion to encircle the bushing 38.The friction cover 40 covers the top of the turret to retain thelubricant within the housing.

To prevent the lubricant from seeping downward past the pinion 36, theconcentric tube 41 is forced into the neck 42 in the bottom of theturret and extends upward within the hub 37 of the pinion. To arrest thecapillary rise of the lubricant this hub is provided with an internalgroove into which the annular felt gasket 42 may be forced. The tube 41extends above the oil level in the housing.

The upper end of the hub 37 has a square hole broached therein to engagethe upper end of the square vertical dasher shaft 43. This shaft isintended to extend down into the laundry tray X and have mounted thereona dasher of any suitable type, not shown, to agitate the laundry orother contents of the vessel within which it operates.

The housing A may be fixed to the edge of the tray in any suit-ablemanner, such as the clamps 44.

Laundry trays and other vessels to which this machine may be attachedvary so in structure, that several types of clamping or permanentattaching means will be adopted by those skilled in the art, to meetthese various conditions.

A wringer operating means is combined with the power unit as anattachment to the housing A and geared to the cam shaft. This in Fig.10, in which the hub of the bevel gear 4 is forced llltO the hub of thegear nd becomes a part thereof.

a The intermediate right and left bevel gears 49, 50 are free on theshaft 46, and both are enmeshed on opposite sides of the gear 46,consequently revolve in opposite directions. Toe sliding collar 51 issplined on tl e shaft 46 and orives the same.

The opposite ends 52, 53 of this collar are polygonal, in this instancetriangular, to engage similarly shaped sockets 53 in the sides of thebevel gears 49, 50, see Fig. 7. The central groove 54 is provided in thecollar to engage the stud 55 eccentrically formed on the spindle 56.This spindle is pivoted in the cap 57 fixed in the top of the housinThis spindle is operated by the lever handle 58, having the tit 59engaging a recess in the housing to hold the handle in adjustedposition.

Si ee the bevel gears 49, 50 revolve freely in opposite directions onthe shaft 46' and the collar 51 is splined on this shaft, the shaft willbe driven in the direction of the gear 49 or 50 engaged by the collar,as selected by the handle 1n the neutral position shown in Fig. 6 theshaft is not revolved in either direction.

The hub of the sprocket 59 is fixed upon and revolves with the shaft46'. A similar sprocket 60 is fixed on the shaft 61 mounted in bearings62, 63 in the walls of the neck 45. The sprocket chain. 64 transmits thepower of the motor 1 to the wringer B, which may be of any conventionaltype suitable for the purpose, or any other mechanism desired.

It advisable to interpose a universal or compensating joint such asshown in Fi 8 between the sprocket shaft 61 and the shaft 65 of thewringer. The ends of the shafts 61 and 65 are flattened as at 66 and 67to engage in the intermediate block 68 having transverse slots in theends thereof to engage the ends 66, 67 respectively, to allow for anydisalinement of the shafts 61, 65. Any lubricant dropping from the joint68 accumulates in the trough 69, and drains through the bypass 70 intothe neck 45, thence back into the housing A.

The electric switch 71 is attached to the housing in any accessiblelocation, through which an electric circuit is wired to the motor 1through the cable 72, see Figs. 2, 3.

This invention operates substantially as follows:

The switch 71 is thrown to the on position which energizes the motor todrive the cam shaft 14. After the motor attains operating speed thehandle 29 is thrown into the position shown in Fig. 3. This clutches thecam 19 and operates the washer mechanism within the tray X. When thewashing operation is complete the cam is declutched by reversing thehandle 29.

The handle 58 is then swung to drive the wringer mechanism in thedesired direction for wringing the laundered garments, in the usualmanner. The wringer is generally located between two trays. By reversingthe wringer, by reversing the handle 58, the garments can be passedthrough the wringer in either direction, from one tray to the other.

The washing and wringing units may be operated at the same time orseparately by manipulating the clutch controls 29 and 58.

The various openings, recesses and chambers are cored in the housing A,the base 2 acting as an integral pan to retain lubricat ing oil orgrease, which will be distributed throughout the interior of the housingA and the neck 45 by the rotating parts therein contacting thelubricant, which will find its way into the bearings and betweencontacting operating surfaces, except the belt drive in the guard 4. Theexternal openings necessary en by said reduction gear; a cam on said camshaft; an oscillating shaft projecting from said housing and adapted tobe driven by said cam; a bevel gear mounted on said cam shaft; atransverse shaft; left and right bevel gears rotatably mounted on saidtransverse shaft and enmeshed with said bevel gear on the cam shaft; aclutch splined to said trans verse shaft and adapted to selectivelyengage either the left or right bevel gears; a sprocket and chain drivefrom said transverse shaft to a secondary shaft; an operating shaft inflexible driving association with said secondary shaft; a reservoiradapted to receive seepage of oil from the secondary shaft and having abypass draining into said main housing. In testimony whereof I havehereunto set my hand this 2nd day of May, 1930.

REGINALD GILBERT.

in assembling the internal parts, are closed by gasketed or tight coversattached to the housing, such as the covers 72', 73, 57, 28, 16, etc.

This power unit has been described in its particular applicationto'laundry or washing machine purposes. But it is obvious thatmechanisms, other than the washing dasher and the wringer, may beoperated by the power available at the shafts 43 and 61, withoutdeparting from the spirit of this invention.

Having thus described this invention what I claim and desire to secureby Letters Patent is:

1. A power unit comprising an enclosing housing; a motor drivenreduction gear mounted within said housing; a revolving shaft driven bysaid reduction gear; an oscillatory shaft projecting through saidcasing; a segment driven by said revolving shaft and adapted to impelsaid oscillatory shaft; a bevel gear mounted on said revolving shaft; ashaft transverse to said revolving shaft; right and left bevel gearsrotatably mounted on said transverse shaft; a sprocket fixed to saidtransverse shaft; a clutch collar splined to said transverse shaft; aspindle journaled in said housing; a stud eccentrically mounted on saidspindle and adapted to slide said clutch collar to selectively engageeither of said left and right bevel gears.

2. A power unit comprising an enclosing housing; a reduction gearmounted within said housing; a cam shaft adapted to be driv-

